


Welcome to the Inquisition, Lady Trevelyan

by lokisfavoriteminion



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-02
Updated: 2015-05-04
Packaged: 2018-03-26 18:23:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3859993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lokisfavoriteminion/pseuds/lokisfavoriteminion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"One: that she would end up married to some fat old nobleman with a fancy title and more sovereigns than sense, two: that said life would become a gilded cage from which she’d never escape, with her skills as a rogue diminishing with disuse, and three: that nothing exciting would ever happen to her. Ever.</p><p>Thank the Maker that she had been wrong about all of those. "</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The First Trial

Lady Evelyn Trevelyan of the Ostwick Trevelyans (which were the ONLY Trevelyans worth knowing, anyway) had come to expect many things out of her life – one: that she would end up married to some fat old nobleman with a fancy title and more sovereigns than sense, two: that said life would become a gilded cage from which she’d never escape, with her skills as a rogue diminishing with disuse, and three: that nothing exciting would ever happen to her. Ever.

  
Thank the Maker that she had been wrong about all of those. Due to her family’s firm influence in the Chantry, Evie had found herself a guest of Divine Jusitinia’s Conclave, there to help mediate the issues that had sparked the Mage-Templar War. Evie had been there as a mediator, not a warrior, and therefore had been dressed in only the finest silks that the noble house of Trevelyan could afford, a symbol of her parents’ continued support of the Chantry, even in these dark hours.

  
Evie personally never considered herself as particularly religious – sure, she could spout of bits of the Chant of Light when necessary, but other than that, she had never really immersed herself in Chantry life any more than what was expected of her. She had not been taught by some of the best tutors in Thedas to just have those skills waste away! If anything, Evie envied the position of the Divine’s Left Hand – and given her family’s influence, she could have perhaps had the post for her own someday. If everything hadn’t gone to the Void in a neatly-wrapped handbasket topped with ribbons.

  
There had been a break in the negotiations, to give the mages, Templars, and assorted others time to breathe and get ready for another round. Evie had gone to relieve herself and perhaps nick a bit of cheese from the larder in the Temple, as a snack; she was headed back to the meeting room when she’d heard screaming. One quick, full-out run later, and she was walking into the meeting room…and…that was about where her memory would stop working until she picked up the thread of the memory at the point when the Inquisition soldiers had found her in the ruins of the Temple of Sacred Ashes. Her whole body ached, and her hand thrummed with some sort of weird energy that would send pinpricks of pain through her nerves when the energy flared to life. Her dress had been torn to shreds by whatever happened at the Temple, and the soldiers who found her quickly outfitted her with some spare equipment, so as to preserve her modesty. But that was where their charity ended, as she soon found herself thrown into a dark cell, where unconsciousness quickly claimed her…though not due to any action of her captors.

  
Evie wasn’t for certain how long she was out, but when she awoke, she had been clapped in irons and several soldiers stood guard around her. When a lithe, black-haired woman burst into the room, Evie used her nobility training to still herself for the frothing rage that ensued.   
“…tell me why we shouldn’t kill you now. The Conclave is destroyed, and everyone who attended it is dead. Except for you.” When Evie didn’t respond, the woman continued onward, and Evie knew that she would only make things worse if she responded in like. So…quietly, calmly, Evie listened to the woman, and showed no emotion, except for perhaps a modicum of disdain for the way that this…woman…handled her.

  
“…are you quite finished?” Evie spoke up, interrupting the redheaded woman’s entry into the room, and giving the black-haired woman a stern look. “As I would have been happy to tell you, had you not so viciously jumped down my throat…I am _Lady_ Evelyn Sarah Annette Trevelyan of Ostwick. I was at the Temple of Sacred Ashes on behalf of the Ostwick Chantry, for whom my parents and family have done work for generations, to help mediate the conflict between the Templars and the mages. I would never have done something to destroy the peace talks, not when my own family is deeply involved, on both sides!”  
“You…have my apologies, Lady Trevelyan.” The black-haired woman seemed…appeased? She conveyed briefly with the redheaded woman, Leliana, who then departed. “I am Seeker Cassandra Pentaghast, and-“  
“And you’re going to let me out of these bloody chains.” Evie was polite, but firm. “I am no mage, and therefore, present no danger to you without a weapon. I am not an Orlesian bard, my friend.”  
“Of…course.” Cassandra decided to take the calculated risk of letting Evie out of the chains. If the woman was, indeed, involved in the Conclave to such a degree, then she had a desire to find out what happened as much as Cassandra did. “Come. We’ll go to the Temple of Sacred Ashes, so you can see for yourself the damage that has been caused by whatever – or whomever – put that mark on your hand.”  
“Very well.” Evie felt it prudent to go along with this Cassandra.

Even if she didn’t know the woman personally, she knew of the Pentaghasts, and how they were a royal line in Nevarra…so she felt that she could trust Cassandra, to a degree. She followed Cassandra from the prison, and tried not to flinch when the bright light of day hit her eyes. After being in a dark cell for so long, her eyes had adjusted to the lack of light.  
“The people of Haven mourn their Most Holy, Divine Justinia, head of the Chantry.” Cassandra told her. “The Conclave was hers, a chance for peace between Mages and Templars.” Evie interjected. “I’m well aware of this, Seeker. I was THERE.”  
“There will be a trial. I can promise you no more than that.” Cassandra looked at her with such pity, that it made Evie’s stomach roll.  
“Maker’s Breath! I’ve already told you that I didn’t do it! But I get to be the scapegoat anyway, yeah? How lovely.” Evie continued following the Seeker, figuring that they were headed for that big, glowing green…thing…in the sky.  
“We need to test your mark on something smaller than the Breach.” Cassandra mused. “To see if it can actually help.”  
“Naturally.” Evie muttered, and then the bridge they had walked on promptly exploded, hit from above by something falling from the Breach itself. “Andraste’s holy-!” Her swear was cut off as they tumbled downwards, finally stopping shortly on thick ice. “Maker and His Holy Bride-!” She got up quickly, and helped Cassandra to her feet.  
That was when they noticed the demons, slinking across the ice towards them.

  
“Great.” Evie bit out, getting behind Cassandra, who already had her shield and sword in hand. Cassandra rushed forward, slamming her shield against the demons and engaging in fierce combat. While the Seeker was engaged, the ground beneath Evie rippled, and she watched two more demons rise from where bits of the Breach had touched the ice. Evie swore loudly, but Cassandra was engaged in combat and did not notice. Ah well. So much for the ‘not an Orlesian bard’ bit! Evie pulled two folding daggers from a hiding place in her bra, and made quick work of the demons that were trying to kill her – only to find herself at the pointy end of Cassandra’s sword.  
“…alright, so I lied. I still had weapons, but your men were too proper to check for them very thoroughly.” Evie smirked, and Cassandra made a disgusted noise.  
“Drop your daggers, or I will not hesitate to run you through.” Cassandra warned her.  
“If you were willing to kill me, you’d have done so already. Face it, you’re relieved that I was armed and could save my own life, since those demons were giving you so much trouble.” Evie taunted her a bit, but closed the daggers and put them away.  
“...” Cassandra relented, and sheathed her sword, putting her shield away on her back as well. “I should remember that you came willingly.”  
“Yes. Yes you should.” Evie agreed, and set off with the Seeker without saying another word about it to her.

  
In fact, the duo remained in silence for the rest of the trip to the forward camp, something for which Evie was grateful. It gave her a chance to form her thoughts about Cassandra, and to observe the other’s abilities as a warrior for herself. Her silence wasn’t broken until they encountered a mage and an archer fighting with other warriors at one of the rifts – of which Cassandra had spoken.

  
How….curious.


	2. The First Rift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evelyn seals her first rift.

They fought through the demons, and as the rift pulsed weakly, the mage grabbed her hand and pushed the mark up to the rift, which sealed with a pop.  
“That was…” Evelyn cleared her throat. “That was something else. I guess I can help, after all.” She turned and looked at the dwarven archer who…looked familiar. She’d seen his face on the back cover of a book, hadn’t she? Ah yes! _Hard in Hightown_ – while Evelyn was not a fan of the series herself, her older sister never seemed to get enough of it. “…you’re Varric Tethras, aren’t you?”  
“I see my reputation precedes me.” Varric smirked, and Evelyn couldn’t help but giggle a bit.  
“Oh, my sister loves your _Hard in Hightown_ series. She’s going to be positively _jealous_ , I just know it.” Evelyn grinned. “I’m Lady Evelyn Trevelyan. It’s nice to make your acquaintance, Master Tethras.”  
“Please…just call me Varric.” The dwarf seemed amused by the human girl’s manners. Cassandra just made a rather disgusted noise, and pulled an unpleasant face.  
“And I’m Solas, if there are to be introductions.” The Elven mage interjected, taking Evelyn’s attention away from the handsome dwarf. “I am pleased to see you still live.”  
“He means that he kept that mark from killing you while you slept.” Varric snorted, and a friendly smile tugged at Evelyn’s lips.  
“Thank you, Solas.” Evelyn told him. “I am thankful that someone was watching over me, making sure that I lived.”  
“It was nothing.” Solas was keen to move on, and dwelling on this now would only delay them from reaching the Temple.  
“Well, if you’re all done being friendly, I suggest we get a move on – that Breach’s not going to seal itself.” Varric eyed the sky, not liking what he saw.   
“I appreciate the help, Varric, but it is not needed.” Cassandra narrowed her eyes at him, and Evelyn had a feeling that there was history there. Juicy history. Which she would have to find out later.  
“Have you seen the valley lately, Seeker?” Varric raised an eyebrow at Cassandra. “Your men are no longer in control out there. You need all the help you can get.”  
Cassandra made another noise, and turned to leave. As far as anyone could tell, that meant that Varric was being allowed to come along.

“Well, Bianca’s excited.” The group trudged off, headed to the forward camp, where they could plan the assault on the Breach.

After an argument with one of the clerics, a Grand Chancellor by the name of Roderick Asignon (a name that Evelyn extracted with cold, calculated words), they set off for the Temple of Sacred Ashes, to deal with the Breach there. Evelyn was silently taking stock of her companions – Solas, an apostate mage whose interruption into Inquisition affairs seemed rather timely, Varric Tethras, a rogue, a writer, and a merchant, who was friends with THE Champion of Kirkwall, and Cassandra Pentaghast, a Seeker of Truth, and princess of the Nevarran line. Such an auspicious group – surely they could manage to fix the tear in the sky!

The way to the Temple was a struggle, and there were plenty of demons in their path. Evelyn assisted in any way that she could in battle, though her folding daggers were close to breaking by the tenth demon she helped to kill. The folding daggers were convenient, but not made for actual battle – they were made for a lady’s quick defense in case of an assault of her person. When they were almost there, they ran into more of the Inquisition’s forces, and the leader of the forces – Commander Cullen. They had but scarcely a few minutes for a quick report, once the rift before them was sealed, before the forces needed to fall back and regroup. Cullen saw that Evelyn’s daggers were shot.  
“Folding daggers? You brought folding daggers to a real fight?” Cullen’s voice was a mixture of concern and amusement for his new comrade.  
“Well, Cassandra here took my good daggers, and did Maker knows what with them.” Evelyn shrugged. “So I was forced to improvise.”  
“You can’t be serious about going to the Temple of Sacred Ashes unarmed!” Cullen thought for a moment, and then pulled a pair of daggers from his boot, handing them over to Evelyn. “Here. These are of sturdier make than your flimsy excuses for daggers, and will hold up better against whatever you might face.”  
“Thank you, Commander.” Evelyn was going to speak up again, say more, but her eyes finally met his, and she felt she might drown in those warm honeyed pools. “I – I…” _Oh-oh Maker…where did her voice go?_  
“I’ll catch up with you all later.” Cullen’s voice resumed an authoritative tone, and he went to help one of the injured soldiers fall back to the forward camp. “Good luck!”  
“Good luck indeed.” Evelyn murmured, walking towards the Temple while staring at the Breach high above her.

In the Temple proper (or what was left of it – Evelyn mourned the loss of such beautiful architecture), Cassandra met up with Leliana – a name Evelyn recognized from her readings of the Tale of the Warden. Leliana had been a lay sister in the Lothering Chantry, where she had met up with the Warden and offered her aid. This was all so very exciting for Evelyn, who had only read about such adventures before! After being told to find a way down, Evelyn walked up to the railing and looked down. After mentally judging the distance, she hopped over the railing, and landed safely on the ground below. Her new comrades, however, found a longer way down since they did not feel up to jumping. (Of course, not all of them were as young as Evelyn was, either, so it made sense.)

They all approached the rift, and the Elven apostate told them that it was sealed - for now. They would have to rip it open to seal it properly, to prevent anymore demons flooding through. Cassandra warned the soldiers and their party that this would mean demons, but even she couldn't predict the sheer size of the demon that came through the rift. It was a Pride demon, large and bulky, and they were always particularly vicious. Evelyn flinched a few times, watching Cassandra take the brunt of the Pride demon's attacks, but did her best to stay aware of the rest of the battlefield. A few shades popped out here and there, but were quickly taken down by the archers and the party's mage; Evelyn particularly enjoyed watching Leliana fight. There was a fluid grace to her movements, and she made the task of firing a bow look easy. Evelyn had tried to fire a bow once...it had not ended well. Ever since, she'd been a fan of dual wielding daggers when it came to sparring with her tutor.

When the demon finally fell, Cassandra called out for Evelyn to seal the rift, and Evelyn did as quickly as she could. Having sealed at least two rifts already today, she was already drained...and this was going to cost her more of her energy than she had right now. The last thing Evelyn remembered before passing out was the loud pop as the rift sealed up, after the demon had finally been defeated. Her knees hit the ground, and Evelyn was out for the count.

“Is she…alive?” The Commander of the Inquisition’s forces had come as soon as the rift had been closed, and he saw Evelyn lying on the ground, her face pressed to the stone.  
“Yes, Cullen. She’s alive…for now.” Leliana nodded. “We need to get her back to Haven as soon as possible, though...she doesn’t look very well.” Leliana half considered having the men draw straws for who would get to bring their unconscious prisoner back to Haven.  
“Understood.” Cullen took the daggers he'd loaned from Evelyn’s hands, put them back in his boots, and gently scooped her up. “I’ll get her back to Haven so that Adan can have a look at her. I’ve ordered my men to keep watch around here until you’ve pulled out. I’ll see you back in Haven.” Cullen felt Evelyn shiver a bit, and tucked her under his outer layer of cloth, hoping it would help to keep her warm until she was somewhere safe, where their alchemist turned mother hen could heal her.


End file.
